The present invention relates to connectors for securing helically grooved flexible electrical conduit to housings, such as junction boxes, fixtures, and the like.
Flexible electrical conduit is frequently used in residential and commercial wiring in order to satisfy building codes, and because of the versatility imparted by the flexible nature of the conduit. All of the wiring typically originates at a central fuse box, or junction box, and may terminate at, or pass through, a variety of fixtures or other various housings requiring electrical connections. In order to prevent the wire from being pulled free at any of these locations, the electrical conduit may be secured to the junction box and any fixture along the way.
Conventionally, when it is desired to approach a junction box along its side, i.e., with the axis of the flexible conduit perpendicular to the axis of a knockout hole through which the wiring in the conduit must pass, a right angle die cast connector is employed. Right angle die cast connectors typically include several parts, e.g., a body, a locking nut, a cap, and screws. The body is inserted into the knockout hole and secured therein using the locking nut. The flexible conduit is then laid in the open body and the cap is attached using the screws, thereby clamping the conduit between the body and the cap.
This style of connector requires time and patience to install. As junction boxes are often located in areas to which access is limited, a great deal of dexterity is required to simultaneously hold the conduit in place, apply the cap, and hold the cap in place while the screws are threaded through often mis-aligned holes in the cap and the body. The difficulty of installation makes such die cast connectors undesirable. In addition, the multiple parts of these connectors require undesirable manufacturing cost and complexity.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a right angle connector that may be quickly and easily installed. There is a further need in the art for a right angle connector that may be efficiently and cost-effectively manufactured.
In one embodiment, a connector for connecting conduit to a junction box having an opening therein consistent with the invention may include: a base for receiving the conduit at approximately a right angle to the opening, and a cap configured to cover at least a portion of the base with a portion of the conduit disposed between the cap and the base. The base may include at least one cap retainer tab extending therefrom. The cap may include a slot configured to receive the retainer tab to establish a snap-fit connection between the base and the cap.
According to another aspect of the invention, the base may include a plurality of spring members for resiliently retaining the conduit at approximately a right angle to the opening in the junction box. According to another aspect of the invention, the base may include a plurality of resiliently deformable elements configured to establish a snap fit connection with the opening in the junction box. The deformable elements may extend from an annular bottom portion defining an opening through which wires in the conduit may pass to enter the junction box.